Closure for collapsible tubes and other containers



11 AWLSZQ Aug. 7, 1923.

J. KAUFMAN CLOSURE FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES AND OTHER CONTAINERS Filed April 5 1920 ill) Patented Aug l, ii'l JOSEPH KAUFMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. T.

GJLQSURE FOR COLLAJPSIBLE TUBES AND OTHER, CONTAINERE.

application filed April 5,

To all whom z'twwy concern.-

Be it known that I, Josnrnr KAnrMsN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n Closures for Collapsible Tubes and Other Containers, of which the following is a specification.

The invention pertains more particularly to closures for flexible or collapsible tube containers of the class usually having an externally threaded discharge neck and an internally threaded detachable cap adapted to said neck for closing and opening the orifice through the same.

Many collapsible tubes are employed for holding shaving cream, tooth-paste and other substances oat like nature orconsistency, and in such use the threaded cap must of necessity be removed and replaced a number of times before the tube becomes emptied of its contents and is ready to be thrown away. llthas been found that considerable inconvenience is caused by the fact that the screw caps of these containers become, when wholly detached, misplaced or lost or fall upon the floor, It has also been found that collapsible tubes with their threaded necks and screw caps, aside from the detachability of the caps, as at present constructed, present features of convenience in use and advantages in respect to their manufacture which should be retained.

The object of my invention is to provide a novel closure for flexible tube containers which will not materially vary the construction of the container or its method of manufacture or detract from its advantages in use, but which will, while retaining the usual screw cap, so connect the cap with the container as to render the cap non-detachable and at the same time permit said cap to be employed in the customary manner for closing and opening the neck of the tube.

My invention therefore resides in a novel construction and application of a yoke, of inverted U-shape, to be secured in a hinged manner to the base of the neck of the tube and straddle and enter into permanent engagement with the screw-cap, said yoke and cap being so related that notwithstanding the presence of the yoke, the cap may be screwed upon and unscrewed from the neck of the tube in the usual manner and that R920. fiex'ial No. 371,193.

when the cap is screwed upon said neck it w ll not only close the tube but cooperate with the neck thereof and said yoke to preventmovement-of the yoke, while when said cap is unscrewed from ad saidneck it will permit the yoke to be swung to one side or the other of said neck and will be carried by said yoke, said cap while being detachable from the neck of the tube, remaining in permanent connection with the yoke and thereby with the container.

The invention will be fully understood from the detailed description hereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

F g. 1 is a front elevation of a collapsible tubeequipped with the closure of my inventlon; Fig. 2 an enlarged vertical section through the upper portion of the same, taken on the dotted line 22 of Fig. 4:; Fig. 3 an enlarged section on the line 3--3 of. Fig, l, showing by dotted lines the screw cap as having been moved to the upper end of the yoke and by solid lines said cap and yoke as having been turned to one side of the neck, and F ig. a a top view, artly in section on the dotted line H of l ig. 1, of the same.

lln the drawings 10 designates the body portion of a flexible or collapsible tube container, 11 the externally threaded neck thereof, 12 the discharge orifice through said neck, 13 an internall threaded or screw cap adapted to said nec r for closing and open.- ing said orifice, and 1d the yoke of inverted U-shape which in cooperation and combination with the other features, embodies my invention.

The container and its cap will be formed of the usual or any desired material adapted for the purpose, and my invention does not necessarily modify the usual construction of either the container or cap except that at the base of the neck 11 ll form two oppositely disposed recesses or sockets 15 to receive and afford bearings for inturned ends or studs 16 on the lower ends of the sides 17 of the yoke 14. The cap 13 may be screwed upon and unscrewed off from the neck 11 as usual. The cap 13 usually has a milled surface on its exterior side surface to facilitate the operation of the cap by the thumb and finger of the user, and in this instance 1 illustrate a commercial form of cap having a milled annular circular shoulder or projection 18.

The yoke 14 will preferably be formed of durable sheet metal and the sides 17 thcreof will initially be set inwardly at their lower portions so that said sides when applied to the neck 11 and cap 13 may have a spr ng action toward each other suited to b nding the pins or studs 16 within their bearing recesses 15 and properly connecting the yoke and container together without interfering with the yoke having a pivotal or hm e swinging movement imparted to 1t. e

ins or studs 16 and recesses 15 serve to hingedly connect the yoke 14 with the container.

The top of the yoke 14 extends transversely above the top of the cap 13 and con nects the upper ends of the sides 17 and said sides 17 fit against the transversely curved sides of the cap 13 with reasonable snugness and are concave on their inner surfaces and engage a suificient extent of the sides of the cap 13 to prevent said ca from los1 n its engagement with the yo e 14, who serves as a cage for the cap 13 and while allowin the cap to be rotated and travel longitu inally therein, prevents the cap from sli ing laterally therefrom.

The side arms of the yoke 14 are longer than the cap 13 and hence the cap ma have a longitudinal movement between sa1 arms,

and when the cap is on the neck 11 the top of the yoke 14 stands above said ca as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the space, num red 19, between the top of the yoke and the top of the cap being predetermined and always sutficient to permit the cap when screwed upwardly from the neck 11 to be moved outwardly to a sufiicient extent toward the top of the yoke to so fully clear the upper edge of the neck as to permit theyoke and cap as a unit to be turned downwardly at the side of said neck. While the cap is on the neck 11, said cap and neck compel the yoke 14 to stand in stationary position, since the neck, cap and yoke are then interengaged, but when the cap is unscrewed from the neck and moved outwardly therefrom to afi'ord sufficient clearance between the lower edge of the cap and the upper edge of the neck, the yoke, carrying the cap in its outer portion, may be swun down to one side of said neck, leavin the discharge orifice from the container fu 1y exposed for the discharge of the contents of the container therefrom in the usual manner. The depth of the space 19 between the top of the yoke 14 and the top of the cap 13 when the cap is in its 0 erative position will be governed b t 0 length of the skirt of the ca it only ing necessary that said skirt sha 1 be sufiicientl separated from the neck 11 when the cap 18 detached, to clear the neck on the downward swing of the yoke. After the useot the container has ceased, the yoke 14 carrying the cap will be turned upwardly into esame vertical eposition, and the cap- 13 will then be mov downwardly against the neck 11 and screwed upon said neck in the usual manner. The yoke 14 constitutes a hinged cage within whichthe ca 13 ma have to tary movement and also. ongitudmal movement, and said yoke permanentl connects the capl to the container without interfering with t e customary manner of using either cap or container and without necessitating any change in the cap or in the container other than the provision of the bearing recesses 15 for the studs or pins 16.

I have s ifically described the preferred embo 'ment of m invention but it is to be understood that do not limit my invention to all of the details shown and described since my invention ma be embodied in modified forms thereo without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as 111% invention and desire to secure by Lettersatent, is:

1. In combination with a collapsible tube having an externally threaded neck containing a discharge orifice and an internall threaded cap to be screwed upon said nee and close said orifice, said cap be' of the usual circular type and construction and adapted to have rotary movement, a yoke having a top and side arms and beinghinged at the lower ends of said arms to said eontainer at the base of said neck, said side arms snugly fittinglthe convex sides of said cap and ockin t e ca to the yoke and bem of such ength at the cap while cape le of rota motion to free it from said neck may a so move longitudinally of the yoke outwardly beyond said neck to permit the yoke and cap to be turned downwardly at the side of the neck.

2. In combination with a collapsible tube having an externally threaded neck containing a discharge orifice and an internall threaded cap to be screwed upon said nec and close said orifice, said cap being circular in transverse section and having milled side surfaces and a plain smooth top of customary character and adapted to have rotary movement ayoke having a top and side arms and being directly pivoted at the lower ends of said arms to said container at the base of said neck, said side arms having concave inner surfaces fitting the sides of said cap and lockin the cap to the yoke, and said arms being 0 such length that the cap while capable of rotary motion to free the cap from said neck may also move longitudinally of the yoke outwardly beyond said neck to permit the yoke and cap to be turned downwardly at the side of the neck.

3. In combination with a collapsible tube havi an externally threaded neck containing a ischarge orifice and a threaded cap of the usual circular type and construction to neeeeee screw upon end interlock with said. neck end seidl cege preventing the seperetion of end close seioi eiifiee, e eege hinged directly the eep therefrom h its engagement with to said neck et the hese thei'eeii end eoieptedl the convex sifles 0:? the cap. it? to he turned to one side of said neck, midi Si next at New York city, in the county 6 cege engaging the convex sides of seidl cap of lev'v York and State of New York, this enci permitting seid ch to heve netei'y mo- 31st dey of Meich, A. D. 19.20. tien end else llengitn inei motion therein, JOSEPH KAUFMAN. 

